PHARR – On the eve of holidays, the Mexican government continues to make sure their residents pay taxes on imported goods when they cross the border back into Mexico.

Many Mexican nationals continue to load up their cars with goods purchased in the Rio Grande Valley. Mexican Consulate spokesperson Vanessa Ortega said they can be fined at different points in the country if they fail to declare.

Monterrey resident Sylvia Valdez Espinoza said she crosses to the U.S. to get products she can’t find in the city of Nuevo Leon state. She said sometimes the products are cheaper on this side of the border.

Espinoza said they carry no more than $400 worth of stuff.

Ortega said Mexican nationals are only allowed to import up to $500 worth of merchandise to Mexico. If they carry stuff worth more than that amount, they would have to pay taxes.

Espinoza said she knows some people try to go through without declaring. Many of them hope not to get caught in a more thorough inspection.

“They test their luck with the green light or red light,” she said.

Ortega said travelers can be fined up to 16 percent of the value of goods they fail to declare.